1. Field of the Inventions
This application relates to systems and methods for deployment of wind turbines for the distributed commercial generation of electricity.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Wind is the movement of air, which has mass, and when air is in motion it contains kinetic energy. A wind energy system converts the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical or electrical energy that can be harnessed for practical use. Wind energy systems which harness the wind and convert it to electrical energy are generally referred to as wind turbines. As air flows past the rotor of a wind turbine, the rotor spins and drives the shaft of an electrical generator to produce electricity. The electricity generated by a wind turbine can be collected and fed into utility power lines, where it is mixed with electricity from other power plants and delivered to utility customers.
Wind turbines are routinely placed in groups. These groups of wind turbines are referred to as wind farms. Wind farms have been in existence for many years and are located in many countries. In the United States, the Department of Energy publishes a report each year that identifies details relative to the wind farms in the United States. Wind farms generally refer to large scale, commercial electricity producing operations. The capacity of the wind turbines on large wind farms, at least in 2008, can reach nearly 3 Mega Watts per wind turbine, and a wind farm can have 1000 wind turbines or more. The goal and direction of wind energy producers appears to be larger farms with greater capacity. These wind farms generally require a large tract of land and transmission lines with significant capacity to transmit the power that is generated from the wind turbines.
Another form of wind turbine deployment is the residential, rural and/or non-commercial placement of small wind turbines. These turbines are generally placed to reduce household electric bills and/or provide electricity in locations that do not have electric power available. Typical locations can be remote pumping stations, farming operations, boats, or any other location where electric power is required and not commercially available. These units typically have a rated capacity, for example, of 50 kilowatts or less and are placed as single units or in small groups that do not exceed 50 units. They are not deployed to provide commercial power.
Typically, electricity is generated in centralized locations and then distributed by means of power transmission lines to the power grid and end user of the electricity. Examples of this type of generation can be a typical large wind farm that has the capacity to generate a megawatt or more, or a coal fired power plant that runs a 40 megawatt (more or less) steam turbine or a nuclear power plant. These are examples of large centralized power generation facilities which generate power in the United States.